Technology

Overview | Can cellphones serve as effective instructional tools in the classroom? In what ways can the use of mobile technology support and strengthen curriculum? What are the drawbacks? In this lesson, students learn about innovative uses of cellphone technology and applications in the developing world, then explore how their phones can be used as learning tools.

Teachers | Do you use cellphones in your classroom? If so, how? If not, why not? Tell us.

Materials | Computers with Internet access and cellphones (optional); research materials and copies of handouts

Warm-Up | Take an informal survey of students’ use and possession of cellphones by asking the following questions and calling for a show of hands: How many of you own a cellphone? How many of you don’t? Why?

Share the results of the recent Pew Internet Research Study, which found that 71 percent of teens (compared to 77 percent of adults) owned cellphones in early 2008. Ask: Do you think this is an accurate number today, or do you think the usage and ownership has gone up in 2010? Why?

Next, have students engage in one or both of the following exercises:

Option 1

Ask students: How are cellphones used, and how can they be used, in our society today? In a large group, ask them to brainstorm about the various possible uses for cellphones. You may want to provide the following categories, and perhaps split the class into small groups, each one tasked with brainstorming about cellphone use in one of the categories:

Communication and social networking

Information seeking and sharing

Entertainment and leisure

Personal business and banking

Entrepreneurship, business development and marketing

Creativity and the arts

Education and learning

Invite students to rely on their own experience or observations as well as imagine creative ways of using cellphones in all of these areas. (Can they think of any other major categories for cellphone use?) When brainstorms are finished, have students share their ideas. Ask: In the past couple of years, what are the most innovative ideas for cellphones that you have come across?

Option 2

Engage students in a discussion about your school’s cellphone rules. Ask: What are the rules? What is the reason or philosophy behind them? How do they see students using cellphones in school? If cellphones are banned, how would they like to use cellphones in school? How are the rules enforced? Avoid getting into a debate over the rules at this point.

Finally, ask: Do you think cellphones will continue to be banned in some schools in a year from now? Five years? Ten? Why or why not?

A recent report by the World Economic Forum and Insead, the French business school, concluded that Americans rank below 71 other nations in their level of cellphone penetration, even though they lead in other areas of connectivity. Some Americans are not connected at all. Millions of others are beyond the phone, so to speak: though they own one and use it, they also own other devices, and the phone is not be-all-end-all.

But it is from Kenya to Colombia to South Africa — the kind of places that have built cellphone towers precisely to leapfrog past the expense of building wired networks, which have linked Americans for a century. In such places, cellphones are becoming the truly universal technology. The number of mobile subscriptions in the world is expected to pass five billion this year, according to the International Telecommunication Union, an intergovernmental organization. That would mean more human beings today have access to a cellphone than the United Nations says have access to a clean toilet.

And because it reaches so many people, because it is always with you, because it is cheap and sharable and easily repaired, the cellphone has opened a new frontier of global innovation.

Read the entire article with your class, using the questions below.

Questions | For discussion and reading comprehension:

In what direction is the United States moving with cellphone development? How is this different than what developing countries are doing? Does this surprise you?

What statistics about cellphone use does the article provide? What does this suggest?

Why is the cellphone seen as a “new frontier of global innovation”?

List some of the innovative ways in which cellphones are being used worldwide in the following categories: communication, banking and community building.

Why does the reporter see an “innovation gap” between the rich and poor countries of the world? Is there a way to close this gap?

Around the Web

Activity | The cellphone has been described by some educators as a modern Swiss army knife, with the potential to be used as a tool for many and varied educational and learning activities. Here are two possible ways to get students thinking about this potential: holding a debate and trying out a way to use cellphones in class.

Debating the Use of Cellphones in School

Have students engage in a debate on the pros and cons of using cellphones in school. They should delve into questions of policy, cost, usefulness and innovation along with the potential for mischief, distraction and cheating.

English Language Arts: Students write keitai shosetsu or cellphone novels, a popular form of mobile storytelling in Japan. Each installment should have a 1,000-character or 70-word character limit, and students should be guided to think of this type of storytelling as the 21st century serial flash novel. Their stories can be uploaded using Text Novel or Twitter. When the story is complete they may also wish to submit it to Cellstories, a site that publishes mobile fiction for smart phones.

Mathematics: Students draw up a list of possible daily-life scenarios in which they could use a cellphone to make calculations, then use them to do so. Or students use their phones to do calculations like restaurant tips, taxes on basic items they buy like orange juice and converting cellphone use statistics to percentages. Students can send a math-based question they are struggling with to ChaCha, a mobile-based search engine. An archive of math questions is available here.

Social Studies: Students create a city guide for their town, or any chosen city in the United States, using Google SMS. Students can study characteristics of a city or town and get information like population, weather, business listings and even movie showtimes by texting GOOGLE (466453). A detailed lesson plan is provided by The Innovative Educator. Or they might use cellphone technology to create maps for visitors and locals.

Students work in groups to create surveys about a current events topic and invite their classmates to respond via cellphone text-messaging. Text the Mob is a polling service that projects polls or message boards on a large screen. Viewers can instantly submit their input via their cellphones and see the results instantly.

And students studying current events can pick a topic of interest and create a cellphone distribution list to send related alerts via text-message. As news develops, they can send alerts to members of the group using TextMarks.

Science: Instead of writing research reports, students create educational podcasts on science or health topics with their cell or home phones using Gabcast, a service that allows users to record podcasts using their phones. The podcasts can then be uploaded to blogs or other multimedia sites.

Research: The University of Pittsburgh’s Ask a Librarian service enables students to receive answers to questions via SMS (265010). ChaCha //search.chacha.com/is another mobile-based service that answers questions using guides or experts. Standard messaging rates apply.

Journalism: Students take pictures using cellphone cameras, then upload them to their newspaper Web site or a site like Flickr where they can add captions and invite viewers. They can also create a news blog using a service like Blogger or WordPress, then set up an email account to which they can send news reports from anywhere using their mobile phones, including photos, that would automatically get posted to the blog.

Student reporters can poll the student body on topical issues using Pollanywhere.com, which allows anyone post a poll or multiple-choice questionnaire that others can complete using cellphone SMS.Polls for up to 30 participants can be created for free.

Going Further | Invite students who engaged in the debate to convert their ideas into a presentation, school newspaper editorial or open letter to administrators, arguing for or against the use of cellphones in school. You might have students present their ideas in an open forum, in a school space or online, for other members of the community to comment on.

Students who used cellphones in the classroom might write reflections on the experience.

Alternatively, students work in groups and develop ideas for a mobile phone application that can be used for education or for the betterment of society in general. They might, for example, come up with ideas for using cellphones to address poverty and homelessness, natural disasters, traffic or health.

Technology1. Knows the characteristics and uses of computer hardware and operating systems.
2. Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs.
3. Understands the relationships among science, technology, society and the individual.
4. Understands the nature of technological design.
5. Understands the nature and operation of systems.
6. Understands the nature and uses of different forms of technology.

Behavioral Studies1. Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity and behavior.
2. Understands various meanings of social group, general implications of group membership and different ways that groups function.
3. Understands that interactions among learning, inheritance and physical development affect human behavior .
4. Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.

Arts and Communication1. Understands the principles, processes and products associated with arts and communication media.
2. Knows and applies appropriate criteria to arts and communication products.
3. Uses critical and creative thinking in various arts and communication settings.
4. Understands ways in which the human experience is transmitted and reflected in the arts and communication.
5. Knows a range of arts and communication works from various historical and cultural periods.

Business Education30. Understands the impact of information systems and technology on business and society.

Geography16. Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources.
18. Understands global development and environmental issues.

Life Work2. Uses various information sources, including those of a technical nature, to accomplish specific tasks.

Thinking and Reasoning1. Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument.

In my opinion I think that cell phones is a very good idea to use in the class room. For example in my school we use smart boards and there is a website that we use to take polls on what the students in the class think and we debate to see why that reason is and etc. Another thing that i have noticed is that a cell phone now-a-days is more like a little computer with internet acess, the whole nine yards. That type of technology can help kids with essay’s and inform speeches and it could cut on time waiting for a computer lab you can just do it in your sleep. That is my opinion to the phone topic if they should be used or not… They should be used without a doubt.

The pre-k through 8 school where I teach has a strict cell phone policy that even asks teachers to restrict their usage in front of students. We’d rather have them talking to each other face to face and playing than texting and interrupting their school day with outside call. The policy helps everyone stay “present.”

I am a substitute in a school district in which cell phone use is strictly banned and in which cell phone use is rampant despite the ban. While I don’t know if the use is as rampant when the regular teacher is present, my guess is that it is – the kids are adept at texting and concealing that they are engaging in this in class.

I think that cell phones could be an outstanding addition to the curriculum if they were used for that purpose – the vast array of social networks demonstrates how connected we are to each other. They could be used to communicate with students in other schools, other states, or other countries that are studying similar topics and this conversation could certainly enhance the learning process and deepen the students’ understanding and appreciation of other cultures.

As the first poster points out (inarticulately and with grammatical errors; most likely he is a student), many cell phones are wi-fi equipped, so it is not beyond imagining that they could prove excellent additions to ongoing classroom dialogue.

HOWEVER, first the students have to be committed to learning rather than messing around in class and playing with their cell phones. I subbed in a class where a student said he was too tired to do his work (a common refrain), so I let him “rest.” Well, he wasn’t resting. He was watching a video of House on his phone.

I disagree with students being able to use their cell phones during class because I think that it distracts students and if they’re busy with their mobile devices they won’t even pay attention to their lesson. I would also say that teachers should have a drop box or something, so that when students enter the class they leave their cell phone in the box and after class they get it back. But if there’s an emergency that the parents NEED to get in touch with their children, they could just call the school. Also, I don’t think students should have cell phones in school because they could just hit up a friend and tell them if they want to cut school. So these are the reasons why I wouldn’t want students to bring mobile devices to school and use it during class.

Any person can survive with out a cell phone. I’m 13 years old and I don’t even own one. If there was an emergency I would head to the classroom and call my parents there. That is my reasoning on cell phones and why they shouldn’t use them in school. Any ways sometimes kids put games on them and play them in class.

It is really interesting to see such innovative uses of the cell phone – technology that is indeed bridging the lines of communication and making the world ever smaller.
However, I would like to point out some ethical issues which I recently became faced with concerning cell phones. An essential material for making cellphones ( and most other electronic devices such as laptops) is the COLTAN. 80% of the world’s coltan reserves are found in the Republic of Congo in Central Africa, and Coltan has been the major cause of the war and unrest there for more than 6 years now. For more insight about this, check://www.seeingisbelieving.ca/cell/kinshasa///planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/conflict-minerals-congo-act.html

This week is Earth Week and we need to think about these things – the priorities of the world and the realties that technological advancement and globalization bring the baggage of injustice along with it.

No, I do not use mobile phones in the classroom. In fact we all have them in our bags for in case of emergency (there are no landlines in our classrooms). Also my school has strictly banned the use of them and also electronic dictionaries because too many instances of students cheating on exams using them. We do however have the authority to occasionally allow the use of electronics when we want them for educational purposes. We encourage our students to bring paper dictionaries with them.

Wow! You completely left out Liz Kolb from your article her book is called Toys to Tools. SHE is the ONE person who probably influenced (if not created) many of these lesson ideas (web resources coupled with cell phones) you wrote about (they are all in her book and on her website //cellphonesinlearning.com)…you should definitely check her out. She has been doing all of these things and more for at least 5+ years. I saw her present at MACUL on this topic about 3 years ago in Michigan.

I am a child, and I know for a fact that cell phones wouldn’t help the majority of students. Face it- most kids, including me, if given the chance, would use the cell phone to text their friends.
There is also the matter of the poverty-stricken children who cannot afford a phone. Schools have enough budget problems without buying phones and plans, and we can hardly leave behind the poor children because their parents don’t make enough money.

Hi everyone, I’d like to share what we’ve been doing on the mobile education end:

Last year, we won the Digital Media and Learning grant from MacArthur foundation. We have developed the curricula, an iphone app and website that engage students in citizen science. So far, we have worked with 10 schools and more than 500 students in New York.

Our facilitators take students out of classroom during the school time and students use the mobile application to collect scientific data of birds. The data later on is submitted to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for research through our website. Students also go through a thought process of how a scientist identifies a bird in the field. So at the end of the program, the students can identify more birds, understand how birds, as a critical indicator of our environment, impact our daily life and how important the data that they have collected.

We believe the future education should provide free tools and everyone should be able to contribute to it. Everything that we have built is free. So please please take it, use it and let us know what you think. Cheers!

At our school, the issue was cheating with the cell phones. Students would store answers in their phone. It was good for students to keep in their backpacks to use in after school communication with parents.

I had an issue where a student asked to use the bathroom and called their parent from the bathroom to come pick them up. They would also call or text friends as well.

Schools really need to have a clear policy on this. With the advances in cell phone technology, they can either be a useful tool or a real problem in schools.

cell phone’s are used for home work. there used to call people for things.you can text people and talk to them .you can use them for math home work you can lisen to music on them. you can get ring tones on them.

Yes, I have a cellphone and I do texted and talk on the phone. I do like the new school policy because in case of emergince you can call who even back. With texting you can see what’s up with people. see what your friends are doing . That’s why I think the policy is good.

I think cell phones can be a distraction, just like anything else. I am an advocate of using cell phones for learning purposes. I sometimes have my students, during the last 5 minutes of class text themselves a reminder to do their assignment for that night. I have found it to be quite helpful.